Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] [MLUG][Politics] State of the Union

[Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On Wed, 1 Feb 2006, Stephen Montgomery-Smith wrote:

> > > I think that this is a good example of a situation where one wonders if 
> > > anyone else could have done any better.
> >
> > There was no provocation and therefore no need to rush into it.  Of 
> > course anyone could have done better.  One way to do better would be to 
> > do nothing.
>
> And I think that many other people would have thought the same way as 
> you. That is why I am prepared to put up with many of Bush's faults, 
> because he was one of the few who thought it was a good idea to go in, 
> and was willing to buck all kinds of internal and external pressures in 
> doing so.


Why then?  What was his motivation?  It was extremely ill-timed as it came 
right after a weapons inspection that showed Saddam was clean.  Bush was 
thumbing his nose at the UN and most nations and he ended up looking like 
a complete ass when he was unable to support his claims.

You can say it is a humanitarian effort, but it was not, as Jon pointed 
out, at all well planned.  If Bush was motivated by a wish to help the 
Iraqi people (even at a great cost in American lives and about $177 
million per day of our money), why didn't he take a little time to plan 
it?  The reason of course, is that this was not his motivation and it was 
not his stated motivation.  His stated motivation was based on lies and 
misinformation.  His real motivation remains uncertain.

Mike

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